Bentonville hosts 40th Annual Harvest Festival

Miss Gabi Lainhart, a student at Manchester High School, was the 2016 Bentonville Harvest Festival Queen.

Festival theme was ‘Celebrating 40 Years’ –

Story and photo by Patricia Beech –

The 40th Bentonville Harvest Festival kicked off last Friday evening with Miss Kendra Lucas singing the National Anthem and the Reverend Justin Greenlee blessing the occasion with a prayer. Colors were presented by the Manchester Veterans Organization.

Residents gathered in the old Bentonville school gymnasium where Miss Gabi Lainhart was crowned Queen of the 2016 festival. Jayven Day was named Little Toddler Mister, Chloe Maynard was chosen as Little Toddler Miss, Zaylee McClannahan Second Place; Kiah Bayless Third Place; Little Mister was Gavin Rowe, Bentley Zinn Second place, Josef Begley and Traevyn Hilderbrand Third Place; Little Miss was Jadelynn Conley, Second place Vacilya Begley, Third Place Ashlyn Fitzgerald; and Zoey Fuchs was chosen as the Festival Princess.

Jade West and Alvy Unger were the winners of Friday night’s Cornhole Tournament.

Throughout the day visitors scrambled to win prizes in the festival’s “Who has it or who knows it?” game. Children participated in games and activities sponsored by the ROCK organization including Face Painting, Watermelon Eating Contest, Free Shaved Ice, Bounce House fun, and the Dizzy Bat Race.

Hungry festival-goers could choose between a fare of Beans and Cornbread, Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches and hot dogs.

A car show, a pet show, and a beard contest were more of the entertainments featured throughout the day. The Grand Parade began at 2:30 p.m. Grand Marshal Barbara Davis ed the procession of royalty, fire trucks, tractors, cars, ponies, nd politicians past onlookers on either side of Highway 41.